Building and construction: Timber engineering and wood-based products

This chapter deals with the application of adhesives in timber engineering, including wood-based products. This work is aiming to describe the general subjects in wood gluing technology, which are characteristic to wood substrates. Firstly, an overview of the basic needs and prerequisites is given, followed by a brief overview of the characteristics of the wood material. An introduction to the general parameters influencing complex process of bond formation and performance of adhesive bonds is presented. Factors such as surface preparation, adhesive types, gluing process, and testing methods are discussed in this section together with mechanical, climatic, environmental factors, and behaviour in fire. The strength and durability characteristics of wood-adhesive bonds are covered. Some emphasis is put on the mechanical description of wood-adhesive bonds, including experimental and numerical results from previous research. The most common reasons for failure and the most commonly used procedures for inspection, testing, and quality control are described. Repair of wooden structures is discussed, followed by some examples of the use of adhesive technology in timber engineering. Finally, some possible future trends and suggestions for further reading are given.